Building Your Automotive Tech Résumé: Can’t-Miss Tips

If you’ve applied for a job, you’ve probably gone through the often-painstaking process of creating a résumé. After graduating from a degree or diploma program, a solid résumé could be the difference in landing that first job. This is especially true for automotive technicians, as employers look for a particular combination of skills, experience, and certifications.

If a career as an automotive technician is a prospect that interests you, you’ll need to know how to create an effective résumé. This means knowing what employers are looking for in an applicant and properly displaying that in an easy-to-understand manner.

What Are Employers Looking For?

When reviewing applicants’ résumés, employers will begin by looking at two things: experience and qualifications. This is often an effective way for employers to narrow down a large pool of applications. Some jobs are only willing to hire those with a certain degree or level of experience, so showing them you have what they need is your best bet at landing an interview.

Many jobs in more specialized industries, automotive technicians included, will be looking for someone with very specific experience or qualifications. This is because of the wide variety within the field; an applicant may have been certified to work on the exact make or type of vehicle that the job requires. That’s extremely helpful to an employer who wants to put the least amount of money into preparing a new hire for the job.

To be an automotive technician, there are a number of general skills and traits you’re going to need to have. Near the top of the list is skills and experience working with people. As a technician at most shops, you’ll at least occasionally have to deal with customers. Employers need you to be properly equipped to handle these situations, as their reputation depends on it. Employers will also be looking for someone with a strong work ethic who can self-motivate and has attention to detail.

One important thing to mention is that a lack of experience or qualifications won’t always keep you from getting a job. Some companies may be willing to take a chance on somebody with less experience who may otherwise fit their requirements.

Giving the Employer What They Want

So how can you make sure your résumé properly showcases everything you have to offer?

  • Thoroughly describe your work history and qualifications.
    It’s important to make sure you give an expansive but proper list to ensure potential employers know about any relevant experience you may have. Qualifications should include schooling as well as any certification you may have.
  • Make sure your work history is up-to-date.
    The automotive field is constantly changing and you must change with it. If you decide to become an automotive technician, you may end up working with newer vehicles which require entirely different knowledge. To this end, it’s also best to list your experience from most recent to least.
  • Make sure you’re highlighting the correct parts of your résumé.
    The more applications there are to look through, the less attention is paid to each individual résumé. That means it’s incredibly important to make your résumé easily skimmable. This can be done through making text larger, making it bold or placing it in the right spot on the page.

There are also a number of more general résumé tips that could improve your chances. One tactic that’s particularly effective when dealing with technical jobs is to list work experience in hours rather than years. Every year of full-time work is 2,080 hours, which adds up quickly. Saying you have 8,000 hours of experience working on Toyota vehicles gives a much better idea of the actual time spent.

Interested in a Career as an Auto Tech?

Good news: you could become an automotive technician in as little as 55 weeks with ATI’s Automotive Technology with Service Management (AOS) program. Our program provides students with knowledge about a variety of repairs, from changing tires to dealing with computer systems and diagnostics. Students gain hands-on experience with an emphasis on effective repair and logical diagnoses. The program prepares its graduates for a potential job in an entry-level shop environment. The program is Master Certified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation (NATEF).

Finished the program and got a spot in the BMW STEP program because of the school. Because of ATI I have a job with a major manufacturer. Thank you!

Posted by Jeremy Fisher on Friday, August 14, 2015

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